Cut leaf, snow removal costs, Elgin task force says
Elgin's budget and financial planning task force made its first steps toward official policy recommendations Tuesday, agreeing to cut snow removal and leaf collection costs but putting off a recommendation on what to do with the city's riverboat money.
Task force members at least agreed to avoid any expansion of the riverboat policy, which governs use of funds collected from the Grand Victoria Casino. But they didn't agree on much more than that.
The policy initially directed the riverboat fund to cover capital and one-time expenditures. It has since been expanded to include funding agreements with social service organizations. Several members of the task force advocated going back to the original intent.
“I'm very concerned about the dependence so many agencies have on the city for their day-to-day operating expenses,” said Patricia Segel. “It isn't the city's responsibility to be paying for social services. They have to be self-sufficient.”
Some committee members indicated support for continued funding to social service organizations, but an ultimate recommendation was delayed Tuesday.
Keith Rauschenberger suggested weaning not-for-profits off city funding over the course of a few years but also recommended offering individual, short-term grants.
In the committee's second meeting discussing snow removal and leaf collection, task force member George Hahne, an Elgin businessman, aired frustration with the conversation.
“Does anybody else in this room find it odd in this time of great economic crisis we're talking about equitable leaf collection?” Hahne questioned. “We have to look at more important issues.”
Ultimately, the committee decided to recommend modifying the expensive program to reduce the cost of leaf removal but did not specify how the city should do that.
Members also advocated moving away from the built-in overtime that has given Elgin a reputation for especially clean streets during winter months. This move would ultimately lower the standard for side streets.
The task force will move into a discussion of the general fund, which finances Elgin's day-to-day operations, at its next meeting on Sept. 20.